The Lower House has passed a bill that will enable dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces at any time and anywhere in the world on antipiracy missions. After the opposition-controlled Upper House votes it down, as expected, the Lower House will enact the bill in a second vote.

Two Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers are now in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia on an antipiracy mission under the "maritime police actions" clause of the SDF Law. With the bill's enactment, the government will switch the legal basis for the mission.

The bill gives the Japan Coast Guard (JSG) a primary role in antipiracy operations. The SDF can, however, engage in such operations when the JSG cannot handle the situation. This provision is clearly a loophole to allow the SDF to participate in antipiracy missions.